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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Archie Miller has wanted a deep team since the preseason, and he’s never been afraid to say so.

It’s going to be a while before he has one. His greatest challenge between now and Christmas at least will be navigating a challenging nonconference schedule with a team that might not be completely ready for it yet.

His Hoosiers have to rise to the challenge; Sunday’s result is only worthwhile if they do.

Indiana’s lack of effective depth was exposed Sunday in a 73-72 loss at Arkansas that, while largely acceptable, might still feel like a missed opportunity come March. IU got 37 points and 17 rebounds combined from Romeo Langford and Juwan Morgan, but the box score was far too unkind elsewhere.

Consider injuries an explanation or an excuse, whichever you prefer. They’re Indiana’s biggest hurdle right now, and whether the Hoosiers (3-1) get the most out of this tough nonconference stretch will be determined by whether they can manage shorthanded.

Foul trouble played its part early as well, sidelining Morgan for all but three minutes of the first half and before he attempted a field goal. It also had Miller rotating tightly among his guards, a position already thinned by the injuries bothering Green and McRoberts.

Freshmen Robert Phinisee and Romeo Langford started alongside sophomore Al Durham. Phinisee finished with 21 minutes and four fouls, and missed the first of two potential game-winning looks at the rim on Indiana’s final possession. Durham and Langford played 36 and 38, minutes, respectively, and combined to commit half of the Hoosiers’ 18 turnovers.

This stretch, at least until McRoberts and Green return, won’t be easy on any of those three. But they have to find a way to manage it.

None of them looked patently out of place Sunday, in front of a rowdy Bud Walton Arena crowd. Their devils were in the details, like committing careless turnovers or unnecessary fouls that widened IU’s depth problem.

“The whole deal, you’re going through things for the first time. … You’re on the road. You’ve got to learn how to play through it,” Miller said. “At the end of the day, they’ve got to be accountable.

“They’re learning on the run.”

Credit Arkansas for creating problems as well.

The Razorbacks (2-1) aren’t shy about pressure defense. It’s in the program’s DNA, thanks to former coach Nolan Richardson, who was greeted with a warm reception when he flashed across the arena video board in the second half.

Arkansas pressed and trapped for most of the game. At times, the Hoosiers dealt with it. At times, they got careless. At times, they allowed that pressure to change the way they approached the game — to make them timid, to throw off their timing and to open windows for Arkansas to put quick runs together.

“We were letting them speed us up with their defense,” Durham said. “We’ve just got to keep control, and we’ve got to stay together through those little runs that they have, and keep composure, and we’ll be fine.”

And then there was Daniel Gafford, all 6-11 of him. IU allowed him to get comfortable while Morgan sat and he dominated long stretches of the second half. He finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds, looking every bit the potential lottery pick.

“He had a lot of open looks,” Morgan said. “We just have to have a lock-down mentality, a tougher mentality from the get-go. We didn’t really establish that, being the tougher team for 40 minutes. I think we did a better job in the second half than the first half, but we kind of got away from it, and (Gafford) was able to get comfortable.”

So much of Sunday, win or lose, was destined to be defined by the lessons Indiana took home from Fayetteville. There should be special mention reserved for teams willing to test themselves on the road in a tough environment so early in the season, but that willingness only matters if the trip pays dividends down the road.

Morgan took responsibility postgame for picking up those two quick fouls. Given his second-half performance (15 points, seven rebounds), the entire complexion of the game might have changed had he stayed in.

Durham shouldered blame for his turnovers, and for letting Arkansas disrupt Indiana so easily at times.

Miller acknowledged that all of this was a difficult test for his undermanned team so early in the season, crediting his players for their commitment and effort, if not always their execution.

And despite all of that, if Phinisee’s late layup falls in, or De’Ron Davis’ put-back lips over, or an official swallows his whistle on what Miller called a “50-50 play” with three seconds left, maybe the entire thing turns out differently.

Of course, they didn't. Mason Jones drew that foul, hit one free throw, intentionally missed the next and walked his team off with a win.

Sunday was a missed opportunity to add a useful road win. It shouldn’t impact potential NCAA tournament seeding too much. But it was a reminder that, while this team should get healthy again soon — Miller said pregame he hoped to have Green and McRoberts back within a week or two — if it’s going to make the most of its chances against Duke, Louisville and Butler, it’s going to have to survive shorthanded for a while.

“It was good for us early, especially these first couple weeks in the season, to feel that and get hit in the mouth a little bit,” Miller said. “It was a good game. Disappointed that we lost, but I also know this is something that can make us better.”